Unit 6

1
Unit 6 Adjustment and Breakdown

• Stress and Health

2
Sources of Stress

• What is stress?
• Event, response, or perception of a situation
  that causes conflict
• Persons reaction to their inability to cope with
  a certain tense event or conflict

3
Sources of Stress

• Components of stress
• Stress-causing event or situation stressor
• Stress reaction often negative
• From acute anxiety or pressure distress ??
• (harassment, mugging, illness, breakup)
• Always bad?
• From motivating challenges eustress ??
• (precompetition nerves, stage jitters)

4
Sources of Stress

• Conflict situations
• Must choose between two or more options with
  conflicting motivesexamples ??
• 4 different types
• Both good approach-approach ??
• (accepted to 2 colleges, concert or ballgame,
  invited to 2 parties)
• Both bad avoidance-avoidance ??
• (study physics or math, study or do chores, bad
  job or no job)

5
Sources of Stress

• One good one bad approach-avoidance ??
• (ask for raise get raise or get fired, ask for
  date get date or get rejected, ask parents to
  go out yes or no)
• Multiple options with good and bad double
  approach-avoidance ??
• (2 vacation choices, aggressive or conservative
  golf shots)

6
Sources of Stress

• Why do some people view a situation as stressful
  but others dont?
• Level of stress you feel depends on how you
  appraise the situation
• Immediate evaluation of a situation primary
  appraisal
• Deciding how to deal / cope with the situation
  secondary appraisal

7
Sources of Stress

• Environmental ??
• noise, crowding
• Life changes ??
• teenage issues
• SRRS

8
Male participants rated on scale of
1-100. Concerns one stressor creates / compounds
another scale doesnt assess
ongoing stressors (poverty, racism etc.)
9
Sources of Stress

• Hassles - relatively minor, day-to-day events,
  gradually weaken bodys defense system ??
• slow traffic, lose keys, forget homework
• Uplifts small, positive events
• doing well on test, winning match, nice visit
  with a friend

10
Reactions to Stress

• How do people react?
• (Physical, behavioral, psychological)
• We are holistic organisms
• Mind over matter
• Will to live

11
Reactions to Stress

• Hans Selye identified 3 stages in the bodys
  stress reaction General Adaptation Syndrome
• Alarm fight or flight, heartrate breathing
  faster, more alert, muscles tense, pupils dilate
• Resistance find means of coping with stressor,
  may develop psychosomatic symptoms (real physical
  symptoms caused by stress tension)
• Exhaustion adrenaline depleted, disorientation,
  delusions

12
Reactions to Stress

• Types of reactions??
• Emotional
• Cognitive
• Behavioral
• Physical

13
Reactions to Stress

• Emotional
• Anxiety vague, generalized apprehension or
  feeling of danger (most common response to sudden
  powerful stressor)
• Anger irate reaction to frustration
• Fear real or imagined danger
• Overreacting to minor irritations, self doubt,
  tension, short temper

14
Reactions to Stress

• Cognitive
• Difficulty concentrating, thinking
• Recurring thoughts, worry
• Poor decision making
• Unjustified suspicion, distrust
• Continued frustration - burnout

15
Reactions to Stress

• Behavioral
• Nervous habits (pacing, trembling)
• Gulp meals
• Smoke, drink, take drugs
• Become lethargic, aggressive
• Lose interest in eating, grooming
• Escape, unemployment
• Not all bad - heroism, cooperation

16
Reactions to Stress

• Physical
• Psychosomatic - real physical symptoms caused by
  stress and tension??
• (headaches, stomachaches, muscle pain, insomnia,
  migraines, sweating, dry mouth)
• (urinary / bowel trouble, ulcers, hypertension,
  arthritis, asthma, heart disease)
• (indirect contribution to illness - tampers with
  immune system)

17
Reactions to Stress

• What factors influence individual reactions?
• Personality
• Type A irritable, impatient, hostile, extremely
  competitive, eat/move fast impact on health??
• (constant adrenaline flow, coronary artery
  disease, heart attacks)
• Type B relaxed, patient, better coronary health
• Emotional expressiveness (dont express cancer
  risk)
• Perceived control
• Social support

18
Coping with Stress

• How do we decide how to cope with stressors?
• (cognitive appraisal-gt interpretation of event -gt
  stress impact)

19
Coping with Stress

• If threatened, how might we cope?
• Defensive coping strategies ??
• 3 groups see gruesome film, one told nothing
• one told events not real denial decide event
  isnt a stressor
• one told film is educational, importance of
  safety intellectualization emotionally
  detached viewpoint, block out feelings
• control group had higher stress levels

20
Coping with Stress

• If challenged, how might we cope?
• Active coping strategies ??
• hardiness belief we can control out situation,
  commitment to establish and pursue goals, and
  view situation as a challenge
• control escape, withdraw, manage timing
• problem solving rational analysis
• explanatory style style of thinking
• Optimist puts best face on any set of events
• Pessimist always sees the dark side

21
Coping with Stress

• progressive relaxation
• meditation
• biofeedback
• humor to release pent up feelings and maintain
  perspective
• exercise
• support groups, professional help
• training
• improving interpersonal skills

22
Stress in Your Life

• Adjusting to college, work force
• College shock people from diverse backgrounds,
  challenges high school identity
• Autonomy taking care of yourself making
  decisions
• Developmental friendships close relationships
  that force friends to reexamine ideas and beliefs
  (Madison this student culture have more
  impact than professors)
• Resynthesis combining old ideas with new ones,
  reorganizing feelings, renew identity
• Comparable worth concept that men women
  should receive equal pay for jobs with comparable
  skill and responsibility
• Work satisfaction coworker relationships,
  challenge, comfort